ENGLISH LION AND CANADIAN BEAR LIE DOWN TOGETHER.
That such violence and bloodshed as that about Fort Douglas, should be
seen by British subjects under the flag which stands for justice and
equal rights made sober-minded Britons blush. While Lord Selkirk's
agents on the banks of the Red River may have been aggressive in pushing
their rights, yet to the Canadians was chargeable the greater part of
the bloodshed. This was but natural. To the hunter, the trapper, and the
frontiersman the use of firearms is familiar. The fur trader protects
himself thus from the bear and the panther. The hot blood of the Metis
as he careered over the prairie on his steed boiled up at the least
provocation.
But the disheartening law suits through which Lord Selkirk passed in
Sandwich, Toronto, and Montreal, reflected more dishonor on the
Canadians than did even the bloody violence of the Bois-Brulés. The
chicanery employed by the Canadian courts, the procuring of special
legislation to adapt the law to Lord Selkirk's case, and the invocation
of the highest social and even clerical influence in Upper Canada for
the purpose of injuring his Lordship will ever remain a blot on earlier
Canadian jurisprudence. Fortunately the rights of man, whether native or
foreigner, are now better understood and more fully protected in Canada
than they were in the second decade of the nineteenth century. Col.
Coltman's report, as already stated, was a model of truthfulness, fair
play and freedom from prejudice, and Coltman was a Canadian appointee.
So grave, however, were the rumours of these events happening on the
plains of Rupert's Land, as they reached Britain that the House of
Commons named a committee to enquire into the troubles. This committee
sat in 1819, and the result is a blue-book of considerable size which
exposes the injustice most fully. The violence and bloodshed which the
fur traders now heard of far and near paralyzed the fur trade carried on
by both fur companies, and brought the financial affairs of both
companies to the verge of destruction. Two startling events of the next
year produced a great shock. These were sudden and untimely deaths of
the two great opponents--Lord Selkirk at an early age in France, and Sir
Alexander Mackenzie, at his estate in Scotland, he having been seized
with sudden illness on his way from London. The two men died within a
month of one another in the spring of 1820. Their passing away was
surely impressive. It seemed like an offering to the god of peace in
order that the vast region with its scattered and thunderstruck
inhabitants from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean might be saved from
the horrors of a cruel war of brother against brother, and a war which
might involve even the cautious but hot-blooded Indian tribes.
Though the two parties were made up of daring and head-strong men, yet
adversity is a hard but effective teacher.
The Hudson's Bay Company was represented by Andrew Colville, a warm
friend of the house of Selkirk, the opponents by Edward Ellice, a
Nor'-Wester. It seemed, indeed, the very irony of fate that Ellice
should be a negotiator for peace. He and his sons the writer heard
spoken of by the late Earl of Selkirk--the son of the founder--as the
bear and cubs. On the other hand the burly directors of the Hudson's Bay
Company possessed with all the confidence of the British Lion, and with
their motto of "Skin for skin" were only brought to a state of peace by
the loss of dividends. Much correspondence passed between the offices of
Leadenhall Street and Suffolk Lane in London, which the two companies
occupied, but articles of agreement were not sufficient to make a union.
All such coalitions to be successful must circle around a single man.
This man was a young Scottish clerk, who had spent a year only in the
far Athabasca district. He had not depended on birth or influence for
his advancement, was not yet wholly immersed in the traditions or
prejudices of either company, and had consequently nothing to unlearn.
Montreal became the Canadian headquarters of the company, but now the
annual meeting of the traders where he as Governor presided, was held at
Norway House. The offices in London were united, and thus the affairs of
the fur trade were provided for and outward peace at least was
guaranteed. We are, however, chiefly dealing with the affairs of
Assiniboia as Lord Selkirk called it, or with what was more commonly
called Red River Settlement. This belonged to Lord Selkirk's heirs. The
executors were, of course, Hudson's Bay Company grandees. They were Sir
James Montgomery, Mr. Halkett, Andrew Colville, and his brother the
Solicitor-general of Scotland. When the news came of the death of Lord
Selkirk, the mishaps and disturbances of the Colony had been so many,
that Hudson's Bay Company, Nor'-Westers, Settlers, and Freemen all said,
"That will end the Colony now!" To the surprise of everyone the first
message from the executors was one of courage, and the announcement was
made that their first aim would be to send six hundred new settlers to
the banks of Red River.
[Illustration: SEVEN OAKS MONUMENT On Kildonan Road near Winnipeg.]
The angry passions which had been roused led the English directors to
take the very wise step of sending out two representatives--one from
each of the old companies to rearrange all matters and settle all
disputes. The two delegates were Nicholas Garry, the Vice-Governor of
the Hudson's Bay Company, and Simon McGillivray, who bore one of the
most influential names of the Nor'-Wester traders. They were not,
however, equally well liked. Garry was a courteous, fair, and kindly
gentleman. He won golden opinions among officers and settlers alike.
McGillivray was suspicious and selfish, so the records of the time
state. They came to the Red River in 1821, and Garry entered
particularly into the arrangement of the Forts at the Forks. The old
Fort Douglas was retained as Colony Fort, and the small Hudson's Bay
Company trading house as well as Fort Gibraltar were absorbed into the
new fort which was erected on the banks of the Assiniboine between Main
Street and the bank of the Red River. All the letters and documents of
the time speak of Governor Garry's visits as carrying a gleam of
sunshine wherever he went and it was appropriate that the new fort built
in the following year should bear the name Fort Garry. This was the
wooden fort, which still remained in existence though superseded as a
fort in 1850.
At the time of Governor Garry's visit the population of the settlement
may be considered to have been about five hundred. These were made up of
somewhat less than two hundred Selkirk Colonists, about one hundred De
Meurons, a considerable number of French Voyageurs and Freemen, Swiss
Colonists perhaps eighty, and the remainder Orkney, employees of the
Hudson's Bay Company. The Colony was, however, beginning to organize
itself. The accounts of the French settlers are very vague, an
occasional name flitting across the page of history. One family still
found on Red River banks, gains celebrity as possessing the first white
woman who came to Rupert's Land. With her husband she had gone to
Edmonton in ----, and had wandered over the prairies. In 1811, with her
husband, she first saw the Forks of Red River and wintered in 1811-12 at
Pembina, the winter which the first band of Colonists spent at York
Factory. Lajimoniere became a fast adherent of Lord Selkirk, and made a
famous and most dangerous winter journey through the wilds alone,
carrying letters from Red River to Montreal, delivered them personally
to Lord Selkirk in 1815.
The Lajimonieres received with great delight in 1818 the first Roman
Catholic missionaries who reached Red River. These were sent through
Lord Selkirk's influence, and the large gift of land known as the
Seigniory lying east of St. Boniface was the reward given to the early
pioneer missionaries--Provencher and Dumoulin, men of great stature and
manly bearing. In the year of their arrival James Sutherland, the
Presbyterian chaplain of the Selkirk Colonists, was taken by the
Nor'-Westers to Upper Canada, whither his son, Haman Sutherland, had
gone in 1815 with Duncan Cameron. The Earl of Selkirk had promised to
send to his Scottish Colonists a minister of their own faith. On his
death in France his agent in London was Mr. John Pritchard. Seventeen
days after the death of Lord Selkirk, Rev. John West was appointed to
come as chaplain to the Colonists and the other Protestants of Red
River. Pritchard arrived by Hudson's Bay ship at York Factory 15 Aug.,
1820, having Mr. West in company with him.
And now Colville wrote to Alexander Macdonell, the Governor of the
Settlement: "Mr. West goes out and takes with him persons acquainted
with making bricks and pottery." Macdonell was a Roman Catholic, but
Colville wrote: "I trust also that by your example and advice you will
encourage all the Protestants, Presbyterians as well as others to attend
divine service as performed by Mr. West. He will also open schools." As
to Mr. West's support a curiosity occurs in one of Mr. West's letters
written in the following year from York Factory. He speaks of an
agreement between Lord Selkirk and the Selkirk Settlers.
"That the Settlers will use their endeavours for the benefit and support
of the clergyman and shall be chargeable therewith as follows (that is
to say): each settler shall employ himself, his servants, his horses,
cattle, carts, carriages and other things necessary to the purpose on
every day and at every place to be appointed by the clergyman to whom,
or whose flock he shall belong, not exceeding at and after the rate of
three days in the spring and three days in the autumn of each year."
This is a gem of ecclesiasticism.
Mr. West says: "I find that it is impracticable to carry the same into
effect. This is attributable to the distance of most of the settlers and
the reluctance of the Scotch Settlers."
Mr. West had made mention of this to Governor Garry.